Research reveals which spooky states love Halloween the most

This story version has been formatted as an on-air script for broadcast outlets. See the original research story here.

PEOPLE IN NORTH DAKOTA, DELAWARE AND IDAHO ARE THE BIGGEST HALLOWEEN FANATICS IN THE U-S, NEW DATA FROM HI-CHEW SHOWS.

THE SURVEY OF 5,000 AMERICANS ACROSS ALL 50 STATES SET OUT TO FIND OUT WHO LOVES THE SPOOKIEST DAY OF THE YEAR THE MOST. 

NOT FAR BEHIND CAME ALABAMA, CALIFORNIA, IOWA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, OREGON, RHODE ISLAND AND WYOMING.

CONDUCTED BY TALKER RESEARCH, THE SURVEY FOUND THAT THE AVERAGE AMERICAN PURCHASES 4.5 BAGS OF CANDY PER SEASON, WITH MOST (48%) OPTING FOR THE LARGE OR PARTY SIZE (MORE THAN 20 OUNCES). 

THIS MEANS THAT ACROSS THE COUNTRY, 132.60 MILLION AMERICAN HOUSEHOLDS PURCHASE AROUND 745.8 MILLION POUNDS OF CANDY DURING THE HALLOWEEN SEASON EVERY YEAR. 

WHILE IT MAY NOT BE SCIENTIFICALLY SOUND, THAT’S ABOUT AS MUCH AS THE WEIGHT OF 33.9 BILLION BATS OR 62.16 MILLION JACK-O’-LANTERNS. 

TOP 10 BIGGEST HALLOWEEN FANATICS

• Delaware - 4.2
• Idaho - 4.2
• North Dakota - 4.2
• Alabama - 4.1
• California - 4.1
• Iowa - 4.1
• New Hampshire - 4.1
• Oregon - 4.1
• Rhode Island - 4.1
• Wyoming - 4.1

Survey methodology:

Talker Research surveyed 5,000 state by state Americans who celebrate Halloween; the survey was commissioned by HI-CHEW and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between July 28 and Aug. 8, 2025.

We are sourcing from a non-probability frame and the two main sources we use are:

• Traditional online access panels — where respondents opt-in to take part in online market research for an incentive
• Programmatic — where respondents are online and are given the option to take part in a survey to receive a virtual incentive usually related to the online activity they are engaging in

Those who did not fit the specified sample were terminated from the survey. As the survey is fielded, dynamic online sampling is used, adjusting targeting to achieve the quotas specified as part of the sampling plan.

Regardless of which sources a respondent came from, they were directed to an Online Survey, where the survey was conducted in English; a link to the questionnaire can be shared upon request. Respondents were awarded points for completing the survey. These points have a small cash-equivalent monetary value.

Cells are only reported on for analysis if they have a minimum of 80 respondents, and statistical significance is calculated at the 95% level. Data is not weighted, but quotas and other parameters are put in place to reach the desired sample.

Interviews are excluded from the final analysis if they failed quality-checking measures. This includes:

• Speeders: Respondents who complete the survey in a time that is quicker than one-third of the median length of interview are disqualified as speeders
• Open ends: All verbatim responses (full open-ended questions as well as other please specify options) are checked for inappropriate or irrelevant text
• Bots: Captcha is enabled on surveys, which allows the research team to identify and disqualify bots
• Duplicates: Survey software has “deduping” based on digital fingerprinting, which ensures nobody is allowed to take the survey more than once

It is worth noting that this survey was only available to individuals with internet access, and the results may not be generalizable to those without internet access.